The patent applications from which this application claims continuation-in-part priority, disclose disc-shaped electrical connectors which are configured to have male and female components that are interconnected along a common plane regardless of their respective angular positions. This feature permits electrical connection in a wearable snap connector without requiring visual observation during the connection process. It also permits interconnection of such connector components in an automated robotic environment where precise angular orientation may not be easily controlled. Further, this feature facilitates secure electrical interconnection of very large and very heavy connector components such as those required on the deck surface of ships for installation of different deck modules.
As disclosed herein, such disc-shaped connectors have also been used advantageously as rotary connectors where their independence of angular orientation is exploited to maintain contact even after interconnection. Such rotary connectors are typically used where It is necessary to rotate an assembly such as in submarine periscope assemblies and in conjunction with surveillance cameras and the like. Where such rotary disc-shaped connectors are employed in making numerous, multiple interconnections, it is typical to provide such connectors in a stacked configuration with a central common passage as shown for example in prior art FIG. 1.
As seen in FIG. 1, a rotary connector stack assembly comprises five rotary connectors co-axially aligned and having a common central passage. Each rotary connector comprises a pair of coaxial rings including a fixed upper input ring and a rotatable lower output ring. A plurality of inputs is received at the uppermost (first) rotary connector, one of the inputs being connected at the upper fixed input ring of the first connector and a corresponding output available at the lower rotatable output ring of the first connector. The remaining inputs are channeled through the passage toward the second rotary connector. The inputs and outputs may be low frequency electrical signals carried on conventional wires, as well as microwave signals carried on coax cable and optical signals carried on optical fibers. This arrangement is repeated at each rotary connector in the stack, a different input being affixed to the corresponding input ring at each connector. All of the outputs are available adjacent the stack below the fifth rotary connector. In this manner, the various inputs may be fed to receivers, meters, lights, scopes, etc. connected to the respective rotatable output rings and which rotate synchronously with the rotatable rings. Typically, all of the rotatable output rings are tied together mechanically so that they all rotate synchronously. Furthermore, it will be understood that all of the rings are axially contiguous to one another as shown in FIG. 1A, the apparent gap in FIG. 1 between the lower ring of each rotary connector and the upper ring of each subsequent rotary connector, being for purposes of illustration only. It will also be understood that the number of such rotary connectors in a stack assembly can be considerably greater than five. For example, in a typical periscope application, the number of connectors in a stack can be 15 to 20 more. Moreover, a typical rotary connector stack will have an outer cylindrical housing which may be a unitary structure.
One significant problem associated with the prior art rotary connector stack assembly of FIG. 1, arises when for maintenance or repair purposes, it becomes necessary to remove a connector from the stack. This task will require disassembly of the entire stack including removal of the inputs, outputs and at least all other rotary connectors above or below the connector to be removed. At the very least this can be a daunting and very inconvenient task requiring a significant amount of manual labor and downtime. At its worst, this can be a major interruption. For example, where the rotary stack is in a periscope, the need to remove a connector may require a return to a base with facilities for a major overhaul of the entire periscope assembly. The extent of the interruption with submarine deployment anywhere in the world, can be incredibly inconvenient, to say the least. It would be highly desirable if there were a solution to this problem, namely, a way to remove any of the rotary connectors without having to also remove any other of the rotary connectors and without having to remove or otherwise disturb the input and output bus.